Ogawa Yayoi - Tramps Like Us, vol. 13-14 (Eng. trans.)

[oyceter]

So, I read vol. 13 a few months ago and have unsurprisingly forgotten everything that happened in it. This made reading vol. 14 very odd, as vol. 14 reads more like an epilogue and less like a conclusion.

Quickly re-skimming vol. 13 makes things make more sense...

I really love that volume 13 spends so much time on Sumire's career and career decisions; on the other hand, I'm still sad she decides to quit. But! She gets offers to freelance, which is cool!

Er, am not deriding anyone who decides to quit. It's just that in these narratives, it feels like even when the decision is given page time and thoughtfulness, the women tend to quit (just like how most women in movies decide to not get an abortion).

I would also growl at the baby thing, except it leads up to the cuteness of Sumire's kid and Yuri's kid growing up together. I liked that there was an entire chapter spent on their friendship and how Yuri would miss her when she moved.

I don't know. I feel like I should say more, except I wanted a more unconventional ending, even though I was 90% sure I wasn't going to get it. I miss the Momo-Sumire pet dynamic, and while I'm glad Momo has grown up, there wasn't enough of their now-romantic relationship to capture the same delicate oddness of their previous relationship. It may have worked better for me had it had more page time, and of course, I'm more interested in seeing how things play out long-term, after the first blush has faded.

In conclusion: though I like this series, I don't quite love it, and the same applies to the ending. I love that it addresses a lot of issues most series don't, but this is also its drawback, as I keep wanting it to go farther than it does, and it's frustrating seeing that.

Comments

[fourthage.livejournal.com]

I need to catch up on this series. I stalled at volume 10, and am horrible about buying once I get behind.

[oyceter]

Yeah, I can see that... I don't know. I love the weird not-romance of the earlier volumes, and I loved the UST as well, but it just wasn't that satisfying when it was resolved.

[fourthage.livejournal.com]

It's the curse of almost every drama. They go downhill after the main couple gets together.

[oyceter]

I know! Well, I was ok with Coffee Prince after the main couple got together, but part of that is because I like watching relationships develop. I think I might have liked the ending more had we gotten more of the resolution and the problems that happened with the two adjusting, as opposed to the simple happy ever after.